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The 6.5 Grendel makes a light but lethal Designated Marksman Rifle. The 6.5 Grendel flanked by 7.62 and 5.56 NATO. It shoots flatter and drifts less than both. The 6.5 Grendel excels at light-recoiling, AR15/M16/M4 weapons can extend their range, penetration, and lethality by swapping to a 6.5 Grendel upper. M855 with 62gr FMJ and 6.5 Grendel with 123gr Lapua Scenar shown. |
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6.5 Grendel Frequently Asked Questions
1. What’s with the strange name? Grendel is the name of a mythical beast, a vicious half-man, half-dragon, from the epic poem Beowulf, written many centuries ago. In one scene, Grendel smashes through the iron fittings of the heavy oak door to a dining hall where many Vikings are sleeping and attacks them: “Straightway he seized a sleeping warrior for the first, and tore him fiercely asunder, the bone-frame bit, drank blood in streams, swallowed him piecemeal; swiftly thus the lifeless corse was clear devoured, e’en feet and hands.”
2. What is the 6.5 Grendel? The 6.5 Grendel rifle cartridge by Alexander Arms gives big-game power in a modern, compact, light-recoiling package. This 6.5x39 cartridge (similar to the famous Russian 7.62x39 combat cartridge, but using 6.5mm bullets) gives AR15-style rifles and carbines unmatched capability for hunting, competition, and tactical use. The 6.5 Grendel cartridge is designed to maximize the capability of AR15-style rifles. The standard AR15 cartridge, the smaller .223 Remington/5.56 NATO, has been found lacking for many applications. For example, in some states, it¹s not even legal for deer hunting. The 6.5 Grendel fixes this, using the same 6.5mm bullets as the well-respected 6.5 x 55 Swedish, but in a much smaller package. For long-range competition shooters, the 6.5 Grendel allows high ballistic coefficient 6.5mm match bullets, loaded within magazine length, to greatly improve upon the wind-drift characteristics of the .223 Remington. For tactical applications,the 6.5 Grendel allows use of the familiar AR15/M16/M4 family of rifles, but upgrades their capability with a cartridge that roughly doubles the amount of bullet mass on target per hit. It can also shoot flatter and drift less in wind at 800 yards, with about half the recoil, than the military’s premier 7.62x51 NATO sniper round, the M118LR with its 175gr Sierra MatchKing. The cartridge case itself can be described as a modified 6.5mmPPC wildcat, with the shoulder moved forward and the neck shortened. Of course, any 6.5mmPPC wildcat is based on Dr. Lou Palmisano’s famous 6mmPPC competition cartridge, which, in turn, is based on the .220 Russian, itself derived, roughly, from the 7.62x39 Russian combat cartridge. In fact, without too much effort it’s possible to convert 7.62x39 brass into 6.5 Grendel. To produce factory-new 6.5 Grendel brass, Alexander Arms contracted with the Lapua company of Finland, who finalized the specifications and were the first to offer the brass on a commercial basis. Below is a comparison of the 6.5 Grendel with other common cartridges: 7.62x51 NATO, 7.62x39 Russian, 6.5x55 Swedish, 6.5 Grendel, and .223 Remington/5.56 NATO.
Cartridge Specifications Case length: 38.7mm or 1.524"
Barrels by Alexander Arms Rifling is of the "Boots" Obermeyer 5R type
Below is a size comparison of 7.62 NATO, 6.5 Grendel, and 5.56 NATO.
Compare a 5.56 NATO 62-grain bullet with a 6.5mm 144-grain Lapua FMJBT.
Alexander Arms currently produces four factory loads: (1) 123 Lapua Scenar, (2) 129 Hornady SST, (3) 120 Nosler Ballistic Tip, and (4) 90 Speer TNT. They are shown sectioned below, along with a 144 Lapua FMJBT. The “sweet spot” for bullet weight in the 6.5 Grendel case is around 120 grains, of which many, many 6.5mm bullets are available, but the cartridge exhibits its built-in flexibility by handling a wide range of common 6.5mm competition and hunting bullets from 85- to 144-grains.
At SHOT Show 2006, Wolf Ammunition announced their plans to produce 6.5 Grendel. Wolf’s 2006 catalog in PDF format can be downloaded here: Wolf Ammo 2006 Catalog. Not shown in their catalog, Wolf has already decided to add a 110gr FMJ in addition to their 123gr soft-point and 120gr MPT (Multi-Purpose Tactical) OTM.
What about magazines? Three 6.5 Grendel-specific magazines are currently available (March 2006). Two aluminum magazines hold, respectively, 10 and 16 rounds. They have tilt-reducing followers designed specifically for the 6.5 Grendel. The 16-round magazine shares the same external dimensions as a 20-round .223/5.56 magazine, and allows prone shooting whereby the magazine extends no farther than the pistol grip. Alexander Arms also offers a 26-round stainless spring steel magazine, complete with an anti-tilt follower, a chrome silicon spring, and a black teflon coating.
What are the ballistics? Ballistics for Alexander Arms’ factory-loaded ammunition are available on their website, as is reloading data.
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Grendel NewsJuly 3, 2007 MidwayUSA now offers Sabre Defence 6.5 Grendel uppers and complete rifles, as well as inexpensive Wolf brass-cased 6.5 Grendel 123-gr Soft-Point hunting and plinking ammunition. Wolf Ammunition has two new 6.5 Grendel products in the works. The first is a companion to their already released 123 hunting Soft-Point, a 120 Open Tip Match bullet designated the MPT (Multi-Purpose Tactical). Wolf’s second upcoming project, due very late in 2007, is an inexpensive 6.5 Grendel steel-cased round with a 110-grain FMJ bullet, designed as a “big brother” version of the Russian 5.45 7N6. Alexander Arms is also responding to demand for a lightweight, affordable barrel kit for the do-it-yourself enthusiast. Planned is a lightweight profile, matte bead-blasted stainless steel barrel in 16" and 18" versions. As promised, Black Hills Ammunition is delivering 6.5 Grendel ammunition with the hot new 6.5mm 123 Sierra MatchKing as a custom exclusive for Les Baer. Les Baer is next planning to offer 6.5 Grendel in a unique and needed weight in the 6.5mm projectile category, a 6.5mm 115-grain match bullet from Berger. |
